Julio Urías, a free-agent left-handed pitcher, has been charged with five misdemeanors by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, stemming from his arrest last September when he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS Sports Tuesday. Those include one count of spousal battery, two of domestic battery involving dating relationship, one of false imprisonment, and one of assault. An arraignment is set for May 2.
Back in January, the Los Angeles District Attorney elected against pursuing felony charges for Urías.
Urías, 27, was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball just days after the alleged incident. According to an ESPN report at the time, he was accused of having a physical altercation with his wife outside of BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, following a soccer match between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and LAFC. According to ESPN, a bystander captured footage of the incident on their cellphone.
MLB retains the right to punish any player it finds to have violated the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, even if that player is not arrested or found to be guilty in a court of law.
Urías, it should be noted, was already suspended for 20 games in 2019 after he was accused of shoving his girlfriend to the ground in a parking lot. If MLB again suspends Urías -- and it stands to reason it would be a lengthy banishment if they do given he's a repeat offender -- he'll become the first player in league history to be punished twice for violating the aforementioned policy.
In parts of eight big-league seasons, Urías finished top-10 in Cy Young Award voting twice. That includes in 2022, after he led the league in earned run average. He has not pitched at any level since being placed on administrative leave. His contract with the Dodgers expired at the end of last season, making him a free agent.
